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Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Why Vintage?

This should I suppose be one of our first posts we did on this blog, but never mind! Sometimes I am asked "why vintage"? Thisquestion can be taken in a myriad of whys and result in a whole host of reactions from me depending on who and how it is asked. So we thought we'd give you our reasons for loving vintage... in no particular order!

1- It's green! Not literally of course (well sometimes it is obviously!) but in a world of throwaway fashion and clothing wearing vintage is taking care of our resources (and our pockets). Being more savvy with your consumer skills is as important for the environment as it is for your purse- reusing clothing, getting maximum life out of them means less in the landfill, the environmental impact of production is spread further as often it was made 20, 30 or even 50 years ago meaning the impact is spread over a longer lifespan. Wearing vintage clothing is as much a part of living a sustainable lifestyle as recycling your weekly rubbish.

What's more the ethos of many who enjoy vintage is that of "make do and mend" which is a highly sustainable attitude for the aforementioned reasons. Personally, most of my clothing vintage or modern is so well loved and worn it is never discarded if I catch it on a door or a nail but repaired over and over.

You can find us at The Minories Food, Drink and More event this Thursday 10-15:00 to celebrate all things sustainable, as part of the Colchester Institute's Bee Green event. More information here

2- Unique: Usually vintage clothing is a one off, a one of a kind. You are unlikely to go to a party and be wearing the same outfit as another of the guests there if you have a vintage piece, unless you are very unlucky! Quite often vintage pieces are handmade which makes them completely and totally unique- never to be repeated.

That's not to say wearing vintage makes you stand out like a sore thumb, not everyone wants to look different, and you can wear vintage clothes in a contemporary way which means you don't look completely out of the ordinary but can know that you are not going to be dressed identically anyone else.

3- Exciting: As a regular vintage shopper, one of the biggest draw for me is the absolute thrill you get when you find a piece that fits, is the right colour in your price range and you're there at the right time to buy it! That may sound strange but the feeling I get when I find something perfect puts me on a high for ages- especially when it's been a piece I have been seeking out for months!

4- Timeless Style or Interesting Change: Clothing from the past can mean you find a timeless look which wouldn't be out of place in 1954, 1984 or 2014. Some fashions haven't died in one hundred years and can be enjoyed time after time. The little black dress is the perfect example. It's claimed by some that everyone has one, every one can rely on one, and has become a timeless classic addition to the wardrobes of many. Likewise if you're looking for a change, vintage clothing can provide an interesting contrast or look- from a 1960s hippie maxi dress, to a rockabilly chick you can embrace any style you want, without being a constrained by current fashions.

5- History: We have said this a lot on the blog, but history is an important part to our business and ourselves. Personally I am a history graduate and have always been fascinated by the past, so vintage clothing has an additional lure for me. You can tell so much about an era form the fashions of the time, one example of this is looking a 1940s dress we have which has been repaired on event he threadbare patches as they could not replace it and the dress still maintains it's grace and beauty but holds a memory of what that had to do to during a period of strict austerity; conversely the lift on rationing led to the huge full skirted looks from the New Look era so they went all out because they could.

6- Because I Do and I Can: My main reason for liking vintage is because I like it, and I can wear it. I am fortunate enough to live in an era and society where I can wear what I like and choose. We do not have to follow strict rules and conventions, we are free to express our likes and personality through our clothes in our own way- if we choose to. My opinion is personally if you want to follow high street fashions, do it if it makes you happy. If you want to wear vintage, likewise do it. If you would rather wear whatever comes to hand and you do not care about your clothes, also do it. We are all feel free to wear what we want. So in answer to "Why Vintage?" I say "Why not?" with a smile, as although all of the above are great and important considerations, the best consideration in my mind is to wear what makes you happy. And vintage makes me feel comfortable and happy so I wear it and I sell it to people who wear it regularly or just want to dabble.

Please feel free to leave your own comments as to why you wear, like or sell vintage, as we're interested to hear other's view points on why you love (or maybe loathe- who knows!) vintage.